Population represented by state legislators

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Features of State Legislatures
Length of terms of state representatives • Length of terms of state senators • How vacancies are filled in state legislatures • States with a full-time legislature • State legislative chambers that use multi-member districts • State legislatures with term limits • Comparison of state legislative salaries • When state legislators assume office after a general election • Population represented by state legislators • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures • State legislative sessions • Resign-to-run laws • Minority and coalition control of state legislative chambers
Every ten years after the federal census, states re-draw the boundaries of their state legislative districts in order to keep the population of every district roughly equal. Each state, besides Kansas, uses federal population figures to determine the new, ideal population of state districts. Kansas uses a state adjusted figure based on federal census data. To calculate ideal districts, each state divides the number of residents by the number of representative or senators in the state legislature.

Highs and lows

Out of all state senates, California's senators represent the most residents, 931,349 per senator, while North Dakota's senators represent the fewest, 14,310 per senator. Amongst all state houses, California's assembly members also represent the most residents, 465,674 per representative, while New Hampshire representatives represent the fewest, 3,291 residents per representative.

Since representation tracks exactly with population growth, Nevada saw the largest increase in the ratio of residents to representatives. Nevada had the 10th largest population growth, but has the fourth fewest state legislators. Michigan, the only state with a shrinking population, saw the only decrease in this ratio.

Minnesota has the largest state senate with 67 members, and New Hampshire has the largest state house with 400 members.

On average, the 5,413 state representatives serve 59,626 Americans as of the 2010 census, while each of the 1,971 state senators represents 156,339 Americans.

Sortable chart

The following table represents the number of seats in each legislative chamber, each state's total population in following each census and how many citizen a state representative and state senator represent based on the census data.


To sort columns, click on the Sort icon.gif icon at the top of any column. Yellow cells indicate a value that decreased from 2000 to 2010.

Number of seats Population of state Population per senator Population per representative
States Senators Representatives 2010 2000 2010 2000 2010 2000
Alabama (S, H) 35 105 4,779,736 4,447,100 136,564 127,060 45,521 42,353
Alaska (S, H) 20 40 710,231 626,932 35,512 31,347 17,756 15,673
Arizona (S, H) 30 60 6,392,017 5,130,632 213,067 171,021 106,534 85,511
Arkansas (S, H) 35 100 2,915,918 2,673,400 83,312 76,383 29,159 26,734
California (S, A) 40 80 37,253,956 33,871,648 931,349 846,791 465,674 423,396
Colorado (S, H) 35 65 5,029,196 4,301,261 143,691 122,893 77,372 66,173
Connecticut (S, H) 36 151 3,574,097 3,405,565 99,280 94,599 23,670 22,553
Delaware (S, H) 21 41 897,934 783,600 42,759 37,314 21,901 19,112
Florida (S, H) 40 120 18,801,310 15,982,378 470,033 399,559 156,678 133,186
Georgia (S, H) 56 180 9,687,653 8,816,453 172,994 157,437 53,820 48,980
Hawaii (S, H) 25 51 1,360,301 1,211,537 54,412 48,461 26,673 23,756
Idaho (S, H) 35 70 1,567,582 1,293,953 44,788 36,970 22,394 18,485
Illinois (S, H) 59 118 12,830,632 12,419,293 217,468 210,496 108,734 105,248
Indiana (S, H) 50 100 6,483,802 6,080,485 129,676 121,610 64,838 60,805
Iowa (S, H) 50 100 3,046,355 2,929,324 60,927 58,586 30,464 29,293
Kansas (S, H) 40 125 2,853,118 2,688,418 71,328 67,210 22,825 21,507
Kentucky (S, H) 38 100 4,339,367 4,041,769 114,194 106,362 43,394 40,418
Louisiana (S, H) 39 105 4,533,372 4,468,976 116,240 114,589 43,175 42,562
Maine (S, H) 35 153 1,328,361 1,274,923 37,953 36,426 8,682 8,333
Maryland (S, H) 47 141 5,773,552 5,296,486 122,842 112,691 40,947 37,564
Massachusetts (S, H) 40 160 6,547,629 6,349,097 163,691 158,727 40,923 39,682
Michigan (S, H) 38 110 9,883,640 9,938,444 260,096 261,538 89,851 90,349
Minnesota (S, H) 67 134 5,303,925 4,919,479 79,163 73,425 39,582 36,713
Mississippi (S, H) 52 122 2,967,297 2,844,658 57,063 54,705 24,322 23,317
Missouri (S, H) 34 163 5,988,927 5,595,211 176,145 164,565 36,742 34,326
Montana (S, H) 50 100 989,415 902,195 19,788 18,044 9,894 9,022
Nebraska* (S) 49 0 1,826,341 1,711,263 37,272 34,924 37,272 34,924
Nevada (S, H) 21 42 2,700,551 1,988,257 128,598 94,679 64,299 47,339
New Hampshire (S, H) 24 400 1,316,470 1,235,786 54,853 51,491 3,291 3,089
New Jersey (S, A) 40 80 8,791,894 8,414,350 219,797 210,359 109,899 105,179
New Mexico (S, H) 42 70 2,059,179 1,819,046 49,028 43,311 29,417 25,986
New York (S, A) 63 150 19,378,102 18,976,457 307,589 306,072 129,187 126,510
North Carolina (S, H) 50 120 9,535,483 8,049,313 190,710 160,986 79,462 67,078
North Dakota (S, H) 47 94 672,591 642,200 14,310 13,664 7,155 6,832
Ohio (S, H) 33 99 11,536,504 11,353,140 349,591 344,035 116,530 114,678
Oklahoma (S, H) 48 101 3,751,351 3,450,654 78,153 71,889 37,142 34,165
Oregon (S, H) 30 60 3,831,074 3,421,399 127,702 114,047 63,851 57,023
Pennsylvania (S, H) 50 203 12,702,379 12,281,054 254,048 245,621 62,573 60,498
Rhode Island (S, H) 38 75 1,052,567 1,048,319 27,699 27,587 14,034 13,978
South Carolina (S, H) 46 124 4,625,364 4,012,012 100,551 87,218 37,301 32,355
South Dakota (S, H) 35 70 814,180 754,844 23,262 21,567 11,631 10,783
Tennessee (S, H) 33 99 6,346,105 5,689,283 192,306 172,403 64,102 57,468
Texas (S, H) 31 150 25,145,561 20,851,829 811,147 672,640 167,637 139,012
Utah (S, H) 29 75 2,763,885 2,233,169 95,306 77,006 36,852 29,776
Vermont (S, H) 30 150 625,741 608,827 20,858 20,294 4,172 4,059
Virginia (S, H) 40 100 8,001,024 7,078,515 200,026 176,963 80,010 70,785
Washington (S, H) 49 98 6,724,540 5,894,121 137,236 120,288 68,618 60,144
West Virginia (S, H) 34 100 1,852,994 1,808,344 54,500 53,187 18,530 18,083
Wisconsin (S, A) 33 99 5,686,986 5,363,675 172,333 162,536 57,444 54,179
Wyoming (S, H) 30 60 563,626 493,782 18,788 16,459 9,394 8,230
Total/Average 1,971 5,413 308,143,815 281,472,856 156,339 142,807 59,626 51,999

Source: 2010 Census, Resident Population of the 50 States; 2000 Census, Population in 2000 of the American states
* Nebraska has a unicameral legislature

See also

v • e
State legislatures
Legislatures
Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)
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